CLASSIC MOVIE SPOTLIGHT

CLASSIC MOVIE SPOTLIGHT

Remember this trailer? – “Batman” (1989)

Classic Trailer Flashback – “Batman” (1989)

It’s summer time so naturally the theaters are flooded with big budget summer popcorn movie trailers. Back in 1989 the trailer for Tim Burton’s “Batman” was one of the biggest of all time. The trailer fueled the intense Batman hype and thankfully the film lived up to it. Looking at it now, the trailer is a rough, pasted together collage of scenes that certainly doesn’t resemble the highly polished and produced trailers of today. But at the time it excited us for what was to come and I’ll always love it.

You haven’t??? Oh you must. Keaton is a much different Batman than we are accustomed to now and Nicholson steals the show. Apparently he had no leash whatsoever. He had everyone talking at the time. In fact, if you notice in the trailer Nicholson actually gets first billing.

LOVE this, Keith. Jack in purple. I see such a similarity with his interpretation of The Joker and that of Frank Costello from The Departed. Gosh, I think he wore purple in that film, too. The special effects in this trailer. What a hoot! I liked Keaton as Batman. He seemed more human, more likeable than Christian Bale’s cold delivery.

Thanks Cindy! Keaton didn’t seem as scarred. He wasn’t as tormented or angry. In fact you can see a lot of classic Michael Keaton in the actual character. And I love the observation linking Nicholson’s two performances. You are sooo right.

You know something. I do remember seeing the trailer but I never went to see the movie as a kid. I was only 8 years old when it came out. I did see it when it came on HBO a year later. Still a great fucking film. Michael Keaton needs his fucking Oscar now.

The trailer was pasted together 6months before the film was scheduled to be released. At the time, Batman was seen as a low value brand. There was an article in the LA Times which ranked characters in terms of film value, based on the assessment of movie professionals and marketers, Batman was at or near the bottom of the list. The trailer was basically an early version of a viral video. It was talked about and covered on programs like Entertainment Tonight. It is a great example of how a marketing plan could be executed at that time. People bought tickets to see the movie the trailer was playing with, just to see it. I believe I saw it with Beaches of all things.

I was 17 when the movie came out and went to see it during opening weekend. I was pumped to see it a year in advance of that, but strangely, I don’t really remember this particular trailer. To be honest, it’s a horrible cut and paste job that makes no sense other than including two iconic characters. The film itself is still a favorite of mine, but this trailer? Yeesh.